Lebanon and The STL as of October 7 2018

This podcast explores the latest on the investigation of The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), an international tribunal established in March 2009, whose primary mandate is to hold trials for the people accused of carrying out the attack on February 14, 2005 which killed 22 people, including the former prime minister of Lebanon, Rafiq Hariri, and injured many others. Facebook…

Contextualizing Israel’s Nation State Law ~ New ADDITION to my Fall Lecture Tour

Given recent developments, I have decided to add a new lecture to my upcoming lecture tour to the US ~ November 5 to December 9, 2018. entitled: Identity of Paradoxes: Contextualizing Israel’s Nation State Law. In July 2018, the Israeli Knesset passed the ‘Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People.’ The bill has generated an impassioned discussion within…

The Middle East 2019: At The Watershed ~ North American Lecture Tour November 5 – December 9, 2018

Middle East 2019 ~ Approaching A Watershed **NEW** Since the Iranian Mullah regime seized power in Iran in 1979, their goal has been to become the regional superpower. Over the last decade, Iran has increased its attempt to establish its crescent of influence, described by King Abdullah II of Jordanian as “The Shiite Crescent.” The Iranian regime has stated…

Post-Election Iraq: A Spinning Whirlpool

The May 2018 general elections in Iraq primarily centered on three issues: Fighting rampant corruption of government agencies; Rehabilitating Iraq, estimated at 100 billion USD; Preserving the political and geographic integrity of Iraq as an Arab state in the face of growing Iranian influence and intervention – and to a lesser extent, separatist sentiments of the Iraqi Kurds. Iraqi society…

Information on Fall 2018 North American Lecture Tour – The Middle East 2019 ~ Approaching A Watershed

2019 will mark a critical milestone in one of the most significant geostrategic developments in the Middle East. And therefore, I am beginning to put my schedule in place for my 2018 Fall Lecture Tour, November 5th through December 12th – entitled: The Middle East 2019 ~ Approaching A Watershed Since the Iranian Mullah regime seized power in Iran in…

Will Iran Deepen its Intervention in Iraq?

Information: Since the Mullah regime seized power in Iran in 1979, their goal has been to “Export the Islamic Revolution.” The goal of which is for Iran to become the regional superpower and to restore the Shi’ites as the rulers of the Muslim world – a position which in the Shi’ite theology, was taken from them in Kerbala in the…

ITME – Experiential & Empowering

The Middle East Is Complicated: ITME “The Essence of Experiential Learning – Empowering Participants to Find Answers” by Ben Pontz ’20 | ITME 5 As I peered out of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, I was not entirely sure what to expect. After all, just about every image of the Middle East I had seen was punctuated with…

Arab Persian Power Struggle

Arab Persian Power Struggle Two major historic struggles have played a central role in shaping the Muslim world and the Middle East. One axis is the struggle between Arab civilization and the Persian civilization. The other axis is the rivalry between Sunnis and Shi’ites in Islam. In the year 651 CE, a significant event took place in the Middle East; the four-hundred…

Sunni Shi’ite Power Struggle

Sunnis & Shi’ites Two major historic struggles have played a central role in shaping the Muslim world and the Middle East. One axis is the struggle between Sunnis and Shi’ites in Islam. The other axis is the rivalry between two large regional civilizations: The Arab civilization and the Persian civilization. There are about 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. About…

Kites, Flames, Soccer – War in Gaza Around the Corner?

Information: The Palestinian Great March of Return Campaign, which was launched at the end of March 2018, has primarily taken place in the Gaza Strip near the Israeli-Gaza border. From the onset of the Campaign, in addition to attempts to storm the Israeli-Gaza border fence, Palestinians from the Gaza Strip attached Molotov cocktails, containers of burning fuel, explosive devices, etc.…

Recording of May 13th 2018 Teleconference Briefing ~ Unfolding Events in the Region

On Sunday, May 13, 2018 I held a Conference Call Briefing. On the call I provided up to date information and analysis regarding unfolding events in the region including: The US withdrawal from the JCPOA The unfolding events in Syria & on Israel’s northern border The upcoming US Embassy move The March of Return in Gaza Below is a link…

Israeli-Iranian Military Collision on May 10, 2018 – Immediate Observations

On May 10, 2018 the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRG) shot twenty rockets at Israel from inside Syria. In response, Israel struck Syrian-based IRG weapons depots, logistics sites, and intelligence bases – as well as a Syrian army surface-to-air missile battery. It is my analysis that this Israeli-Iranian military collision of May 10, 2018 has left Iran – for now –…